Short-Term and Long-Term Replenishment of Water Storage Influenced by Lockdown and Policy Measures in Drought-Prone Regions of Central India

Central India faces a freshwater shortage due to its diverse terrain, sudden change in precipitation patterns and crystalline rock covered subsurface. Here, we investigate the patterns in terrestrial water storage anomaly (TWSA) over the last two decades, and also study the influence of the COVID-19 lockdown on TWSA in the drought-prone regions of central India, mostly covering the Vidarbha region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The Vidarbha region is arguably the most drought-affected region in terms of farmer suicides due to crop failure. Our forecast data using multiple statistical approaches show a net TWSA rise in the order of 3.65 to 19.32 km(3) in the study area in May 2020. A short-term rise in TWSA in April-May of 2020 is associated with lockdown influenced human activity reduction. A long-term rise in TWSA has been observed in the study region in recent years; the rising TWSA trend is not directly associated with precipitation patterns, rather it may be attributed to the implementation of water management policies.